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Kōrero: Anniversaries

Bishop Vercoe's speech at Waitangi, 1990

Video file

The words spoken by Bishop Whakahuihui Vercoe, the Anglican bishop of Aotearoa, at Waitangi on 6 February 1990, have become one of the most famous speeches in New Zealand history. Before Queen Elizabeth, many dignitaries and a large crowd, and on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the first signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Bishop Vercoe suggested that New Zealand had failed to honour the treaty, and had marginalised Māori, one partner to it. Watch an excerpt from Bishop Vercoe's speech.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

TVNZ Television New Zealand

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Jock Phillips, Anniversaries – Sesquicentennial, 1990, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/video/43033/bishop-vercoes-speech-at-waitangi-1990 (accessed 25 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Jock Phillips, i tāngia i te 14 October 2013.

Comments

Harriet
30 May 2018
Kia ora Sam, please contact TVNZ Television New Zealand for a full length version and permission to screen it. Thank you.
Harriet
30 May 2018
Thank you for your comment. I'm sorry you're having trouble viewing this. It isn't in Flash, please try this URL if you are still having trouble: https://teara.govt.nz/files/43033-tvnz-h.mp4. Thanks.
Paul Arthur
07 February 2018
Hi, after hearing Bishop Vercoe's, speech from 1990 at Waitangi on National Radio yesterday, i wanted to play it back to my 14 year old son. I was unable - Adobe Flash being a requirement. I am unable to install Flash on my computer, as it has too many vulnerabilities (i do security). Is it possible to hear/view this taonga in another (future-proof) format ? Thanks, Paul.
Sam Henare
02 February 2018
Kia ora I was just wondering if there was a full length of this video that I could view? Also is it legal to show this video in a church setting as part of a preach? Thanks!